Science Fiction

Believing that films were strictly for entertainment, Golden Age film
producer Sam Goldywn is reputed to have said, "If you want to send
a message, use Western Union." Notwithstanding a handful of
so-called social problem films, Hollywood films do tend more toward the
innocuous than the politically confrontational. Science fiction films,
though, are often notable for their idea-driven narratives; social
commentary, although not always profound, is a frequent element of sci-fi.
It is not unusual for even low-budget, low-concept science fiction films
to "send messages" about human nature or the relationship of
humans and machines. Their lessons may be conveyed with all the subtlety
of a Western Union telegram, but there is no denying that good science
fiction films try harder than other genres to ask "deep"
questions: Why are we here? What is our future? Will technology save or
destroy us?

Though science fiction films vary widely in their politics and aesthetics,
they share some key recurring elements. Stories often center on space
travel, encounters with alien life-forms, and time travel. Settings are
often futuristic and dystopic. Technology is notably advanced (in many
futuristic societies) or absent (in post-apocalyptic societies destroyed
by technological forces such as atom bombs). Spectacular sets, costumes,
and special effects are common, though by no means
de rigueur
.

With its frequent focus on alien monsters and fantastic special effects,
science fiction overlaps with two other genres, fantasy and horror.
Indeed, some movies simultaneously embody both horror and science fiction,
such as
The Thing
(1982),
Planet of the Vampires
(1965),
The Fiend Without a Face
(1958), and
Alien
(1979). It is futile to split hairs debating whether a film is truly
science fiction, since so many movies mix elements of SF with horror and
fantasy. It makes more sense to consider science fiction (like most
genres) as existing on a continuum, where some films are mostly science
fiction, and others contain only a few science fiction elements. As a rule
of thumb, it is helpful to remember that pure fantasy films, such as
The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring
(2001), or pure horror films like
Dracula
(1931) tend to emphasize the power of magic and the supernatural, while
pure science fiction films, such as
The Andromeda Strain
(1971), emphasize both the power of technology and scientific innovation
and the power of the rational human mind.

Though science fiction films have a history of criticizing technology,
they themselves frequently depend on the most advanced technological
innovations. Stanley Kubrick's (1928–1999)
2001: A Space Odyssey
(1968), for example, presented a very sophisticated 3-D simulation of
outer space and spacecrafts. The film famously opens with apes using bones
as tools, thus taking the first step toward evolving into humans. A bone
tossed up into the air visually segues into a spinning spacecraft in the
year 2001. With its spectacular visual celebration of scientific
advancement, the film might initially appear to be pro-technology, but its
villain is a murderous computer, HAL. Humankind's greatest
technological achievement becomes its undoing, paralleling the earlier
technological breakthrough, the bone, which was used by one ape to murder
another. Evolution is presented, on some level, as devolution. For many
viewers, however,
2001
's spectacular effects blunt its negative presentation of HAL; it
is hard to interpret such a technologically sophisticated film as

offering an unalloyed critique of the dangers of technological
achievement.

Arguably, some of the best science fiction critiques of technology are in
lower budget films such as
Mad Max
(1979) and
A Boy and His Dog
(1975), where wars have desolated the planet. Paralleling
Kubrick's apes in their primitive ferocity, survivors are forced to
make do with whatever technology they can scrounge up.
The Omega Man
(1971) is a post-apocalyptic film in which most of humanity has been
destroyed by germ warfare. The hero is technologically sophisticated,
while his brutal foes use primitive weapons and are explicitly opposed to
technological advances. The movie is unique for being both
post-apocalyptic and pro-technology. Other post-apocalyptic films, such as
On the Beach
(1959), deemphasize technological critique in favor of a focus on
psychological realism and social analysis. Whether overt or more subtle,
most science fiction films include some consideration of the positive or
negative implications of technological and scientific achievements.